This chiseled ironwork saddle, lavishly adorned with gold and silver, was made for a wealthy Tibetan cleric or aristocrat around the turn of the seventeenth century. Chiseled ironwork provided a sturdy support for the rider but its great value lay in the extraordinary virtuosity required of the artist to carve out such delicate designs from sheets of steel. Few examples of Tibetan ironwork have entered public and private collections in the West, and the dearth of material has meant that there has been little opportunity to study it. However, the recent appearance of very fine examples such as this saddle makes it clear that ironwork was an important art form in Tibet, cultivated and sustained by highly accomplished artists and wealthy patrons. Traditional Tibetan sources indicate that the main center of Tibetan ironworking was in the Derge region of eastern Tibet, and this regional name has become eponymous with the finest ironwork from Tibet. Masterful ironwork meant complex and delicate patterns-typically on several planes-carved from thick steel plates. Horses were highly prized in Tibet both as vehicles for transport and as commodities of trade, and wealthy clerics and aristocrats sought fine saddles to adorn their steeds.

Detail: front view